Protective Value Research Articles

A Synergistic Combination of DHA, Luteolin, and Urolithin A Against Alzheimer's Disease.

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a devastating neurodegenerative disorder and the most common form of dementia worldwide. The classical AD brain is characterized by extracellular deposition of amyloid-β (Aβ) protein aggregates as senile plaques and intracellular neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs), composed of hyper-phosphorylated forms of the microtubule-associated protein Tau. There has been limited success in clinical trials for some proposed therapies for AD, so attention has been drawn toward using alternative approaches, including prevention strategies. As a result, nutraceuticals have become attractive compounds for their potential neuroprotective capabilities. The objective of the present study was to derive a synergistic nutraceutical combination in vitro that may act as a potential preventative therapy for AD. The compounds of interest were docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), luteolin (LUT), and urolithin A (UA). The cell viability and cytotoxicity assays MTS and LDH were used to evaluate the compounds individually and in two-compound combinations, for their ability to inhibit Aβ1–42-induced toxicity in human neuroblastoma BE(2)-M17 cells. The LDH-derived% protection values were used in the program CompuSyn v.1.0 to calculate the combination index (CI) of the two-compound combinations. The software-predicted potentially synergistic (CI < 1) two-compound combinations were validated using CellTiter Glo assay. Finally, a three-compound combination was predicted (D5L5U5) and shown to be the most effective at inhibiting Aβ1–42-induced toxicity. The synergistic combination, D5L5U5 warrants further research for its mechanism of action; however, it can serve as a basis to develop an advanced functional food for the prevention or co-treatment of AD.

Detection of humoral immune response induced in horses vaccinated with inactivated Equine Herpes Virus Vaccine

Equine herpesviruses (EHV1 and EHV4) are essential in horses. Repeated cases of infection and abortion in mares who have regularly vaccinated impetus us to determine to investigate the humoral immune response after post-vaccination with the same inactivated vaccine and the best vaccination protocol. Twelve healthy susceptible horses were divided into four groups (3 horse /group). The first group was vaccinated I/M with inactivated Equine Herpes (type 1 and 4), where each horse was inoculated with a single dose (2ml/ dose /horse). The second group was vaccinated with inactivated Equine Herpes (type 1 and 4) then a booster dose after two months. The third group was vaccinated with inactivated Equine Herpes (type 1 and 4) followed by two booster doses at two months intervals. Three horses were kept as a negative control in the fourth group. Serum samples were tested for the EHV and antibodies using virus Neutralization Test (VNT) and ELISA; it was found that VNT against EHV-1 indicated that the neutralizing antibody titer value ≥ 4 fold titer rise had been demonstrated at 28th-day post-vaccination for all vaccinated horse groups, it was demonstrated that the vaccinated horse group (1) indicated the significant greater titer values compared to other vaccinated groups and showed protective titer value till the end of the experiment (6 months post-vaccination), There is an agreement in titer values between ELISA and VNT tests for EHV was observed, but it could not reveal the same antibodies, where the ELISA measures antibodies against EHV1-4. It was concluded that the single-dose vaccination protocol was more appropriate for horse vaccination than other vaccination protocols.

A Novel Nomogram Model to Identify Candidates and Predict the Possibility of Benefit From Primary Tumor Resection Among Female Patients With Metastatic Infiltrating Duct Carcinoma of the Breast: A Large Cohort Study.

BackgroundThe impact of primary site surgery on survival remains controversial in female patients with stage IV breast cancer. The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of primary tumor surgery in patients with stage IV breast cancer and concurrently develop a nomogram to identify which patients will benefit from surgery.MethodsWe retrospectively searched the SEER database for female patients newly diagnosed with stage IV breast infiltrating duct carcinoma (BIDC) between 2010 and 2015 and then divided them into surgery and non-surgery groups. The propensity score matching (PSM) method was implemented to eliminate the bias, and Kaplan–Meier survival analysis was generated to compare the overall survival (OS) and cancer-specific survival (CSS) between the two groups. After PSM, Cox regression analyses were performed to determine the independent protective value of primary tumor surgery, while logistic regression analyses were utilized to uncover significant predictors of surgical benefit and establish a screening nomogram for female patients with stage IV BIDC. Nomogram performance was evaluated by calibration curves, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves, and decision curve analysis (DCA).Result5,475 patients with stage IV BIDC were included in this study, and 2,375 patients (43.38%) received primary tumor surgery. After PSM, the median CSS was 53 months (95% CI: 46.84–59.16) in the surgery group compared with only 33 months (95% CI: 30.05–35.95) in the non-surgery group. We further found that primary tumor surgery was an independent protective factor for patients with stage IV BIDC. The independent factors affecting the benefit of locoregional surgery in patients with stage IV BIDC included histological grade, T stage, molecular subtype, lung metastasis, liver metastasis, brain metastasis, and marital status. The AUC of the nomogram was 0.785 in the training set and 0.761 in the testing set. The calibration curves and DCA confirmed that the nomogram could precisely predict the possibility of benefit from primary tumor resection.ConclusionOur study suggested that primary tumor surgery improved the prognosis of female patients with stage IV BIDC and developed a nomogram to quantify the probability of surgical benefit to help identify surgical candidates clinically.

Understanding factors influencing utilization of HIV prevention and treatment services among patients and providers in a heterogeneous setting: A qualitative study from South Africa.

Despite advances made in HIV prevention and treatment interventions in South Africa, barriers to their utilization continue to exist. Understanding perspectives from patients and providers of healthcare can shed light on the necessary strategies to enhance uptake of HIV services. A cross-sectional qualitative study was conducted in July 2020 in Ekurhuleni District. Based on HIV prevalence estimates from a national survey, male condom use coverage and antiretroviral treatment (ART) initiation rates from routinely collected clinical data for 2012, we selected facilities from geographical areas with varying HIV prevalence and uptake of HIV services. In-depth interviews were conducted with adult (≥18 years) patients and healthcare workers in selected primary healthcare facilities. Thematic analysis was performed following a framework built around the social cognitive theory to describe behavioural, personal, and social/environmental factors influencing utilization of HIV services. Behavioural factors facilitating uptake of HIV services included awareness of the protective value of condoms, and the benefits of ART in suppressing viral load and preventing mother-to-child HIV transmission which was evident across geographical areas. Barriers in high prevalence areas included suboptimal condom use, fears of a positive HIV result, and anticipated HIV-related stigma while seeking healthcare services. Across the geographical areas, personal factors included ability to correctly use available services enhanced by knowledge acquired during counselling sessions and community-based health promotion activities. Further, social support from family reinforced engagement in care. Compared to low uptake areas, clinics in high uptake areas used care-facilitators, outreach teams and decanting programs to address the environmental barriers including staff shortages and long queues. Barriers at multiple levels prevent optimal utilization of HIV services, calling for strategies that target and address the different levels and tailored to needs of specific settings. Overall, improved delivery of HIV prevention or treatment interventions can be achieved through strengthening training of healthcare providers in facilities and communities and addressing negative sequelae from utilising services in low uptake areas.

A data hiding scheme based on single pixel modification with modulus operation

The embedding capacity and steganography quality are two important performance indicators of data hiding which has practical application value for copyright and intellectual property protection, public information protection and online elections. Many researches presented hiding methods to improve the performance. However, the existing data hiding methods have problems such as low embedding capacity or poor stego-image quality. This paper proposes a new method (Single Pixel Modification, SPM) to improve the performance further. The SPM (Single Pixel Modification) method embeds k secret bits into a cover-pixel with the idea that minimizing the change to cover-pixel and adopting modulus operation based on 2k. The experimental results show that the proposed method has better performance than methods compared and the highest hiding capacity can reach 4 bits per pixel and the average PSNR of stego-images is 34.83 dB. The source code and related materials are made to public to make it easy for researchers to verify the work and stimulate further research.

Aerobes and phototrophs as microbial organic fertilizers: Exploring mineralization, fertilization and plant protection features.

Organic fertilizers and especially microbial biomass, also known as microbial fertilizer, can enable a paradigm shift to the conventional fertilizer-to-food chain, particularly when produced on secondary resources. Microbial fertilizers are already common practice (e.g. Bloom® and Synagro); yet microbial fertilizer blends to align the nutrient release profile to the plant’s needs are, thus far, unexplored. Moreover, most research only focuses on direct fertilization effects without considering added value properties, such as disease prevention. This study has explored three promising types of microbial fertilizers, namely dried biomass from a consortium of aerobic heterotrophic bacteria, a microalga (Arthrospira platensis) and a purple non-sulfur bacterium (Rhodobacter sphaeroides). Mineralization and nitrification experiments showed that the nitrogen mineralization profile can be tuned to the plant’s needs by blending microbial fertilizers, without having toxic ammonium peaks. In a pot trial with perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.), the performance of microbial fertilizers was similar to the reference organic fertilizer, with cumulative dry matter yields of 5.6–6.7 g per pot. This was confirmed in a pot trial with tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.), showing an average total plant length of 90–99 cm after a growing period of 62 days for the reference organic fertilizer and the microbial fertilizers. Moreover, tomato plants artificially infected with powdery mildew (Oidium neolycopersici), a devastating disease for the horticultural industry, showed reduced disease symptoms when A. platensis was present in the growing medium. These findings strengthen the application potential of this novel class of organic fertilizers in the bioeconomy, with a promising match between nutrient mineralization and plant requirements as well as added value in crop protection.

Estradiol reduces ACE2 and TMPRSS2 mRNA levels in A549 human lung epithelial cells.

Epidemiologic studies suggest slightly higher risk of severe Covid‐19 symptoms and fatalities following SARS‐CoV‐2 infection in men compared with women from similar age groups. This bias was suggested to reflect differences in the male and female immune system regulation, driven by different sex hormone levels in men and women, in particular, higher plasma estradiol in women. SARS‐CoV‐2 infects respiratory tract epithelial cells by binding to their cell membrane ACE2, followed by priming for cell entry by the host cell membrane serine protease TMPRSS2. The cell protease FURIN facilitates cell exit of mature SARS‐CoV‐2 virions. Our study examined the effects of in vitro treatment of A549 human lung epithelial cells with 17‐β‐estradiol on mRNA expression of genes coding for these proteins. Treatment of A549 human lung epithelial cells with 17‐β‐estradiol reduced the cellular mRNA levels of ACE2 and TMPRSS2 mRNA, while not affecting FURIN expression. Our findings suggest that 17‐β‐estradiol may reduce SARS‐CoV‐2 infection of lung epithelial cells, which may in part explain the reduced incidence of severe Covid‐19 and fatalities among women compared with men of similar age. Studies into the molecular pathways by which 17‐β‐estradiol reduces ACE2 and TMPRSS2 mRNA expression in lung epithelial cells are needed for assessing its potential protective value against severe Covid‐19.

How to Overcome Impotence of Environmental Law in the Age of Anthropocene: Foundations of Ecocentric Law

INTRODUCTION. This scientific article discusses the reaosns for inefficiency (“impotence”) of modern environmental law as a normative reaction to the “destruction of Nature”. The scope of the destruction of Nature has been broadening. The environmental protection law has thus not influenced the resurrection of “destroyed Nature”.MATERIALS AND METHODS. Consistent with explanatory and theory–building research, the methods used are those of historical legal research as well as general scientific methods, such as analysis, synthesis, analogy, description, and deduction. RESEARCH RESULTS. The essential reasons for the current excessiveness (intemperance) of man's interaction with Nature (the reasons for the “destruction of Nature”) and/or reasons for the inefficiency of the modern environmental law should be sought for in the dominant anthropocentric cultural paradigm of the western cultures oriented towards an un-limited material progress. If anthropocentrism (exploitativeness) as the basis of human utilitarian interaction with nature has led to the “destruction of nature,” there is no doubt that the ecological reason remaining within the anthropocentric construction of Nature can not lead to its “resurrection”. Only the setting-up of the ecocentric construction of Nature may lead to the “resurrection” of Nature. This orientation must be followed by the nomos of the western cultures. A new law of nature on the basis of the new, ecocentric ontology and ethics is therefore necessary.DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS. In this article, the basics of a new ecocentric legal philospohy as the foundation of modern environmental law have been proposed. The scientific realisation of man's equality in the network of co-dependent natural entities in the last decades shows man his initial position – that is his (equal) postition in Nature. The determination of the rules of conduct which man must respect in interaction with Nature implies an expansion of the idea of law itself (justice and correctness) towards the interaction between man and Nature and not only the interaction within human community. Consequently, the economic interaction has to be maintained within the framework ensuring the vitality of other biotic communities. Also, incorporation of Nature in the very essence of law inevitably triggers a redefinition of legal values. The natural equilibrium, i.e., the equilibrium of life (including human life) becoming a legal value, we could speak of the expansion of the legal subject, i.e. the expansion of values which are the subject of legal protection. The initial position of the natural equilibrium addresses the issue of relationship of the new legal value towards the existing fundamental legal values of the western cultures. The enforcement of the maintenance of natural equilibrium may also demand a limitation of another legally protected value, for example, the right to the freedom of movement or some other human right. The new value, i.e., the maintenance of natural equilibrium, must be incorporated in the “contracts of statehood”, that is in the constitutions of the western countries as one of main legal values, next to “freedom”,“democracy” and “private property”. The entry of Nature in the western (legal) value system is a conditio sine qua non for an efficient change in the legal order and, most importantly, for a change in man's attitude towards Nature in everyday's life.

The Role of Social Capital, Sex Communication, and Sex Refusal Self-Efficacy in Sexual Risk Behaviors and HIV Testing among a Diverse Sample of Youth

Social capital, namely civic engagement, adult support, and community support, shapes behaviors in meaningful ways, yet the literature examining the relationship between social capital and sexual risk behaviors and HIV testing among youth remains limited. This study examined the influence of social capital on sexual risk behaviors (i.e., unprotected sex, multiple sex partners, and being drunk or high prior to sex) and HIV testing among youth. A total of 200 primarily ethnic minority youth (mean age of 17.4 years) in Denver, Colorado were included in the study. Structural equation modeling findings indicate that higher levels of social capital were associated with unprotected sex and less HIV testing. Additionally, the association between social capital and sex with multiple partners was mediated by sex refusal self-efficacy. Youth may benefit from social capital, but it may not have the same protective or health-promotive value for youth as for adults.

Ethical Dimensions of the GDPR, AI Regulation, and Beyond

Our digital society is changing rapidly, with emerging new technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning, robotics, and the internet of things. These changes trigger new fundamental ethical questions relating to privacy, data protection and other values, including human rights and the way they are affected by the extensive and intensive use of data for analytical and practical innovations. This article explores these ethical dimensions and the extent to which the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) of 2018 takes ethics into account in relation to these socio-technical developments. More briefly, it looks similarly but more selectively at the EU’s proposed AI Act of 2021, which aims to regulate AI in relation to levels of risk.It concludes with some observations on desirable institutional arrangements for making and applying ethical judgements in the regulation of advanced technologies that use personal data.

Long-Term Leaching Behavior of Organic and Inorganic Pollutants after Wet Processing of Solid Waste Materials.

The recycling of mineral materials is a sustainable and economical approach for reducing solid waste and saving primary resources. However, their reuse may pose potential risks of groundwater contamination, which may result from the leaching of organic and inorganic substances into water that percolates the solid waste. In this study, column leaching tests were used to investigate the short- and long-term leaching behavior of “salts”, “metals”, and organic pollutants such as PAHs and herbicides from different grain size fractions of construction & demolition waste (CDW) and railway ballast (RB) after a novel treatment process. Specifically, silt, sand and gravel fractions obtained after a sequential crushing, sieving, and washing process (“wet-processing”) of very heterogeneous input materials are compared with respect to residual contamination, potentially limiting their recycling. Concentrations in solid fractions and aqueous leachate were evaluated according to threshold values for groundwater protection to identify relevant substances and to classify materials obtained for recycling purposes according to limit values. For that, the upcoming German recycling degree was applied for the first time. Very good agreement was observed between short and extensive column tests, demonstrating that concentrations at L/S 2 ratios are suitable for quality control of recycling materials. Different solutes showed a characteristic leaching behavior such as the rapid decrease in “salts”, e.g., SO42− and Cl−, from all solid fractions, and a slower decrease in metals and PAHs in the sand and silt fractions. Only the gravel fraction, however, showed concentrations of potential pollutants low enough for an unlimited re-use as recycling material in open technical applications. Sand fractions may only be re-used as recycling material in isolated or semi-isolated scenarios. Leaching from heterogeneous input materials proved harder to predict for all compounds. Overall, column leaching tests proved useful for (i) initial characterization of the mineral recycling materials, and (ii) continuous internal (factory control) and external quality control within the upcoming German recycling decree. Results from such studies may be used to optimize the treatment of mixed solid waste since they provide rapid insight in residual pollution of material fractions and their leaching behavior.

Background concentrations and spatial distribution of heavy metals in Albania's soils.

This research aimed to determine the background and precautionary values of Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, Zn, Co, As, and Hg and provide the spatial distribution of these metals in Albania's soils using statistical and geostatistical methods. Since the distribution of the data was commonly not Gaussian, they were transformed into their natural logarithm for deriving background concentrations and precautionary values. Background concentrations were defined as antilog of the median. Precautionary concentration values for soil protection were defined as antilog of 90th percentile of the ln-transformed data. Background concentrations in forest soils were larger compared to those in soils under other land use types. The largest background concentrations for Cd, Cr, Ni, Cu, Co, and Zn were found in forest soils formed on magmatic rocks, while largest concentrations of Pb and Hg were found in soils formed on flysch and molasse. The background values and precautionary concentration values (in brackets) (mg kg-1) for agricultural soils across flysch/molasses and quaternary deposits were as follows: Cd 0.24 (0.82), Cr 131.63 (527.42), Cu 41.26 (72.75), Ni 287.15 (632.70), Pb 19.11 (284.86), Zn 81.80 (113.90). The largest background values for Cd and Zn were found in Phaeozems, for Cr, Pb, and Co in Luvisols and Cambisols, and for Cu, Hg, and Ni in Fluvisols. The proposed background concentrations and precautionary values complete the picture of metal contents in European soils, can be used as reference concentrations for the Albanian environmental legislation, and allow the identification of potential contamination hot spots.

Study of water repellency and corrosion of STA-PFOA modified mortar

The water repellent treatment of cement-based materials based on superhydrophobic modification has been shown a promising application value for the corrosion resistance protection of cement-based materials in coastal areas. This paper proposed a method for fabricating an amphiphobic (both superhydrophobic and oleophobic) mortar with overall water and oil repellency using mixed STA-PFOA modifier. It is found that the surface and internal cross-section of the mortar showed amphiphobicity. The amphiphobic mortar kept hydrophobicity even under acidic and alkaline conditions. The oil-self-cleaning test demonstrated that the fabricated mortar not only had good oil stain resistance, but also exhibited good self-cleaning property. Compared with the ordinary mortar, the cumulative water absorption and connected porosity of the amphiphobic mortar were reduced by 66.4% and 70.6%, respectively. In addition, the ordinary mortar surface coated with amphiphobic mortar also showed good corrosion resistance compared with that of the ordinary mortar. It is expected that the water and oil repellent mortar fabricated using the proposed method may have potential applications in coastal areas.

Development of Fluoride Protective Values for Aquatic Life Using Empirical Bioavailability Models.

The derivation of protective values for aquatic life can be enhanced by the development and use of bioavailability models. Recent advances to metals bioavailability modeling are applicable to other analyte groups and should be widely considered. We conducted a meta‐analysis of the available aquatic toxicity literature for fluoride to evaluate the utility of hardness, alkalinity, and chloride as toxicity‐modifying factors (TMFs) in empirical bioavailability models of freshwater taxa. The resulting optimal multiple linear regression model predicting acute fluoride toxicity to the invertebrate Hyalella azteca included all three TMFs (observed vs. predicted 50% lethal concentrations, R 2 = 0.88) and the optimal model predicting toxicity to the fish Oncorhynchus mykiss included alkalinity and hardness (R 2 = 0.37). At >20 mg/L chloride, the preliminary final acute values for fluoride were within 1 order of magnitude and ranged from approximately 18.1 to 56.3 mg/L, depending on water chemistry. Sensitivity of H. azteca to low‐chloride conditions increased model uncertainty when chloride was <20 mg/L. Because of limited toxicity data, chronic bioavailability models were not developed, and final chronic values were derived using an acute‐to‐chronic ratio (ACR) approach. Accounting for TMFs, the geometric mean ACR was 5.4 for fish and invertebrate taxa (n = 6). The present assessment highlights the need to expand bioavailability modeling to include inorganic anions, particularly fluoride, and demonstrates that existing promulgated protective values for fluoride are likely overly conservative. More toxicological studies are recommended to further refine multivariate empirical bioavailability models for inorganic anions. Environ Toxicol Chem 2022;41:396–409. © 2021 The Authors. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of SETAC.

Does moral commitment predict resistance to corruption? experimental evidence from a bribery game

Corruption is ubiquitous in practice and has severe negative consequences for organizations and societies at large. Drawing on a laboratory experiment, we propose that individuals high in moral commitment are less likely to engage in corrupt behaviors and prefer foregoing financial benefits. Specifically, we posit that individuals refrain from corruption (i) the more they endorse integrity (incorruptibility) as a protected value and (ii) the higher their level of Honesty-Humility. The results of a two-step experiment largely support our expectations: people who treat compromises to integrity as unacceptable were less willing to accept bribes, and Honesty-Humility decreased bribe-giving. The findings are robust to demographic variables (e.g., age, gender, cultural background) and additional personal characteristics (e.g., risk tolerance, dispositional greed) and have important implications for ongoing theory-building efforts and business practice.

Do consumers care about companies’ efforts in greening supply chains? Analyzing the role of protected values and the halo effect in product evaluation

Widespread efforts are being made to mitigate environmental degradation driven by human activities. From a supply chain management perspective, companies aim at improving their environmental and organizational performance along their supply chain simultaneously. Since consumers are the sources of manufacturing companies’ profitability, companies are interested in understanding the extent to which consumers care about their green practices. However, while some consumers would have a higher willingness to pay a premium (WPP) or purchase intention (PI) for environmentally differentiated products, others would not. Moreover, there is scant evidence regarding the integrated effects of intra- and inter-organizational green supply chain practices on green consumerism. Therefore, this study adopts two psychological approaches (i.e., protected values and halo effect) to describe this relationship based on two models that encompass mediation and moderation effects. Data were collected from 351 Colombian university students through a behavioral experiment with three product-based conditions, and the hypotheses were tested using two-instance repeated-measures linear regressions and non-parametric tests. The results indicate that perceived product performance mediates the effect of green supply chain practices on consumers’ WPP and PI (halo effect). Additionally, consumers’ moral orientation toward the environment (protected values) moderates the effects of green supply chain practices on consumers’ WPP, PI and perceived product performance. The study found that people who hold protected values evaluate products better not just for its green attributes, but because of their increased perception of the products’ performance. The contributions are centered on the role of psychological approaches in green supply chain studies to understand consumers’ preferences.

Data analysis of the protection performance of Citrus reticulate and Pelargonium on the corrosion rate of mild steel in acidic solution

Data on the protection efficiency of Citrus reticulate (CR) and Pelargonium (PG) oil distillates, and their combined admixture (CRPG) on the corrosion of mild steel in 0.5 M H2SO4 and 0.5 M HCl solution are presented. Performance of CR and PG in HCl solution are comparable and generally effective at all concentrations with optimum value of 85.94% and 89.68% at 1% and 1.5% distillate concentration. Performance of CR and PG in H2SO4 solution were significantly concentration dependent with poor protection values at 0.5% to 1.5% for CR and 0.5% to 1.25% for PG. At 1.75% CR, and 1.5% and 1.75% PG concentrations, protection efficiency of 73.09%, 96.17% and 95.46% were attained. CRPG performed effectively in H2SO4 solution with average protection value above 90% while in HCl solution CRPG performed poorly at all concentrations with performance values below 60%. Statistical data showed inhibitor concentration dominated the protection performance outputs of the distillates compared to exposure time whose effect was marginal but statistically relevant. Data from standard deviation showed the CRPG in HCl and CR in H2SO4 solution varied the least from average data values signifying stable inhibition with respect to time and concentration. 53% and 50% of CR protection efficiency data in HCl and H2SO4 solution were above the 80% effective protection value at margins of error of ± 12.62 and ± 12.65. The corresponding values for PG showed 42% and 67% are above the threshold value at ± 12% margin of error. The protection value for CRPG above the threshold value is 67% in HCl solution and 0% in H2SO4 solution at margins of error of ± 11.93% and ± 0%.

Considerații privind pintaderele din nord-vestul României / Regarding the Early Neolithic clay stamps from North-Western Romania

The article presents eight clay stamps from the Starčevo-Criş site of Tăşnad. Seven of them are unpublished (Pl. I/2; Pl. II), one published in an exhibition catalogue (Pl. I/1). This category of pieces originates in the Anatolian area and spread with the process of Neolithisation. Such pieces are rare and raise many discussions and hypotheses about their functionality. Various assumptions have been made about their functionality, some authors attributing a practical function to these pieces, like decorating ceramics, printing textiles and leather, tattooing human bodies, marking goods as a sign of ownership. Others give cultic values to these pieces like marking the food (i.e., the “sacred bread”), or the role as talismans or pendants with magical, protective values. The small variety of motifs present on these pieces as well as the presence of these motifs on cult pieces such as idols, altars, anthropomorphic vessels or vessels with anthropomorphic representations, are arguments for a magical-religious functionality

Research on Art Innovation of Flower Drum Lantern Costume under the Background of Rural Revitalization

In 2006, Flower drum lamp was listed in the first batch of China's intangible cultural heritage list, becoming the only Han dance species selected in the national intangible cultural heritage protection project pilot project. As an important component, dance costumes also contain rich values, and have unique costume styles and cultural attributes. Through the cultural attributes of Flower drum lamp costume, it shows its protection value, analyzes the design status of Flower drum lamp costume, inherits and innovates Flower drum lamp costume, refines, transforms and applies the classic elements in traditional costume patterns based on the regional cultural characteristics with modern aesthetic concepts and performance skills, and adds regional cultural elements such as Dayu culture and Huaihe River valley culture to make it full of the times.

Sudska implementacija prava na istinu - osvrt na argentinsko iskustvo sa Juicios por la Verdad

Safeguarding the right to the truth has become crucial in dealing with systematic violations of human rights. Especially in contexts of transition to democracy, telling the truth is considered of utmost importance for fighting against impunity and promoting peace. Nevertheless, scholars have paid little attention to the judicial implementation of this right and, in particular, to the value of judicial protection of the right to the truth. The article aims to fill this gap by discussing the Juicios por la Verdad (the Truth Trials), a unique experience promoted by the Argentinian civil society in the wake of the military dictatorship. Specifically, it investigates the impact of the judicial recognition of the right to the truth on both the victims' lives and society's attempt to come to terms with the past. The analysis shows that the right to the truth may serve as a tool for knowledge, acknowledgment, strengthening the rule of law and, to an extent, for justice.